Automatic flush-tank



(No Model.)

A. MAYER. AUTOMATIC FLUSH TANK.

Patented Apr. 22, .1890.

TATES UNITE AUGUST MAYER, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC FLUSH-TAN K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,034, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed August 7, 1839,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST MAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Flush-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of flushtanks in which'a siphon is caused to operate intermittently to empty a reservoir of water into the sewer or other channel at certain intervals of time. In this class of flush-tanks provision has been made for starting the siphonage when the reservoir is suffieiently filled, and also for breaking the siphonage when the reservoir is sufficiently emptied.

My invention relates more particularly to the means for starting and breaking the siphonage.

The purpose of my invention is to produce an effective automatic intermittent flushing apparatus of few parts, simple and cheap of construction, and not liable to get out of order. I accomplish these objects by means of the device described herein, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a a vertical mid-section of my improved flush-tank. Fig. 2 is a view of the lower end of the outer chamber or bell D, which forms the intaking limb of the siphon, showing the siphon-breaking limb V in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view and horizontal cross-section on line a: :c,Fig. 1,1ooking downward.

Myinvention comprises an improvement in the means for starting the siiphonage and an improvement in the means for breaking the siphonage and in the combination formed by the siphon-starting and the siphon-breaking means.

My improved means for starting the siphonage consists of a siphon having its discharging limb provided with a slightly-sealed discharging-orifice, and provided immediately above such discharging-orifice with an abrupt enlargement or chamber.

My improved means for breaking the siphonage consists of a siphon having its intaking limb formed of two members, the mouths of which are at different levels, so that after the water has been siphoned almost to the lower mouth air will be admitted through the Serial No. 320,003. (No model.)

other mouth to supply the vaeu um and break the siphonage.

The drawings represent the form of construction preferred by me, a modification thereof being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The discharge limb A of the siphon is a vertical pipe having receiving and discharging orifices of equal capacity, and provided near its discharging-orifice with an abrupt enlargement or chamber B, through which the water must fall before reaching weir or trap O, the discharge 0 of which is slightly above the level of the discharge-orifice a of limb A, so that the discharge -orifice a is slightly sealed by the water in O. The hell or intaking limb D of the siphon is provided witha short auxiliary limb, pipe, or chamber V, cast integral therewith near the bottom or receiving end of the bell, and having its mouth slightly above the level of the month of the bell D, said limbVbeing connected near its top with limb or bell A by a small passage e.

The operation of the device is as follows: Water enters reservoir F through pipe Gr and fills the reservoir until the water in intaking limb D reaches top of discharge limb A. As the water rises in D, the air in D andApasses ofi into the sewer through the water-seal in C, so that the tension of the air in A remains approximately uniform until the water he gins to flow over the open top of A and through the enlargement or chamber B. Then the falling Water carries air from 13 down through the slight seal formed at a and thus rarefies the air in A. The atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the water in F causes the water to rise more rapidly through D, and the air in A is exhausted with increasing rapidity and the flow of Water increased to supplythe vacuum until the air is wholly expelled, and the siphon acts with a rush to discharge all the water in F down to the open mouth of D, which is below the mouth of V. The water in F now remains at the level of the mouth of D until the water inV has all passed through the passage 6. Air then enters D through passage 6 and ascends to the top of the bell, thus supplying the vacuum and allowing the water in D to dash back into F.

The rapidity with which V empties depends upon the relative sizes of V and e. I prefer to makeV as shown in the drawings, as D and V can be cheaply and conveniently cast in one piece and are not liable to clog. V may be made of greater length, and its place may be supplied by a pipe, as I, (shown in dotted lines,) the essential feature being that the mouth of one member of the intaking limb is higher than the mouth of the other member.

The enlargement or chamber B is preferablyfunnel-shaped,thefunnelterminatingimmediately below the surface of the water, so thata small amountof falling water will cause sufficient agitation in the seal to carry the air out beyond the mouth of the funnel. The

discharge-orifice of the funnel is of the same capacity as the receiving-orifice at the top of A.

The bell rests upon lugs L, as is customary in the construction of devices of this class, to

allow a passage beneath it for the entrance of Water.

Now, having described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a flush-tank, a siphon having its discharge limb formed of a tube provided with an abrupt enlargement at its lower end and having its discharge-orificeequal in cross-sectional area to the cross-section of the main upper part of said tube.

2. A siphon having the lower end of its dis charge limb provided with the funnel-shaped enlargement or chamber B, having its discharge-orifice slightly sealed.

3. In a flush-tank, the bell 1) set forth, provided near its bottom with the short auxiliary limb V, cast integral therewith near the bottom of the bell and having its mouth slightly above the level of the mouth of the bell, said limb being connected near its top with the bell by the small passage 6.

4. In a flush-tank, the siphon set forth, having its discharging limb provided with a slightly-sealed discharging-orifice, and provided immediately above such dischargingorifice with an abrupt enlargement, and having its intaking limb formed of two members, the mouths of which are at difierent levels.

AUGUST MAYER.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, J. W. ROBARDS. 

